


Day 3: Escape in the cold

by Curse_my_sarcastic_nature



Series: 12 Days of Winter Whumperland 2020 [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: 12ww.3, AMOW Winter Whumperland, Escape in the Snow, Gen, Hurt & Comfort, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:49:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28068825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Curse_my_sarcastic_nature/pseuds/Curse_my_sarcastic_nature
Summary: His legs were freezing. Everything was freezing. He breathed down his suit, trying to send warm air into his body. It didn’t work. Duke was currently wishing for a hot summer night in Gotham.He needed to get further away from the base.A step forward.Another step.Another step.Another step.Another— Steph?***12 Days of Winter Whumperland, Day 3Escape in the Snow
Relationships: Duke Thomas & Damian Wayne, Duke Thomas & Stephanie Brown
Series: 12 Days of Winter Whumperland 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2052900
Kudos: 44





	Day 3: Escape in the cold

A trail of footprints led up a wandering figure. If you stood more than a few meters away, the bright yellow would become little more than a blurry silhouette, your vision obstructed by snow. The young man in the yellow armour made his way slowly, slowly, slowly, through the looming forest of tall dark trees with shadows that seemed to slink in silence.

His fingers where freezing, and Duke could hardly feel them. They wind whistled eerily through the trees, but he ignored it. Another step forward, he took. Then another and another. They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, but Duke didn’t think he could keep walking much longer.

His uniform, the bright, bulky, yellow thing, was not built for the cold. No, it was made for the humid, muggy nights patrolling Gotham. That was even taking in account the cracks and broken pieces that had come off or been smashed during the fight. It was still much better than a suit like Dick’s though, the skintight, thin thing. He gritted his teeth and took another step.

The white bat on his chest reflected the slivers of moonlight coming in through the clouds. Duke needed to get as far away from that base as possible. That base would no doubt be able to find him if he was close enough. He could deal with shelter later, as long as he was far enough away from them. For him to be caught would be horrific. They could find out his identity, and in turn everybody else’s.

The cold seeped into the suit, snow whipping around him. A puff of air blew out of his mouth, condensing into mist. His fingers and toes were so, so cold. He wiggled them about as he marched, but tried to preserve his energy. You never knew how far you could get until you stopped, and Duke needed to go as far as possible.

His tech wasn’t working, having been smashed and then fried by his abductors. He couldn’t contact his fellow vigilantes, and his heater wasn’t working. This was one thing he found himself wishing for more and more as his teeth started chattering.

His legs were freezing. Everything was freezing. He breathed down his suit, trying to send warm air into his body. It didn’t work. Duke was currently wishing for a hot summer night in Gotham.

He needed to get further away from the base.

A step forward.

Another step.

Another step.

Another step.

Another— Steph?

And there, running through the looming trees as fast as she could was Spoiler, Robin grappling above her. She crashed into him and tackled Duke to the wet snowy ground. This did not do any good for his current status of freezing, but another person’s body heat caused wonders.

Robin landed down besides them and gave them an unimpressed look. He sniffed and flicked his comm on. “Signal located. He is alive, sending location now.”

He listened for a response before nodding and turning it back off. Robin gave him a condescending glare. “Signal, status report. Spoiler, get off him.”

“Um, I’m a-alive? Th-they destroyed my electrical stuff s-so I’m really cold.”

Spoiler’s mask covered her face, but Duke could tell an ear splitting grin covered the bottom half of her face from her voice. “Well, guess what we brought. Damian?”

She turned to Robin and gestured for him to hand Duke something. Robin huffed and pulled a thermos out of somewhere Duke didn’t want to know. He had no idea where it fit, but he was eternally grateful.

“Code names in the field, Spoiler. Pennyworth insisted we bring it, Signal.”

Duke’s eyes widened as he smelt the steam rising from the thermos.

“Alfred’s hot chocolate?” He breathed in disbelief.

Spoiler nodded enthusiastically. “You betcha!”

She then whirled around, tugging her cape off and gestured for Robin to do the same. He did so, laying it carefully on the ground and spreading it out evenly. Spoiler was much less careful, chucking the cape on the ground, then sitting on it and patting for Duke to sit down next to her.

He did just so, Robin moving to sit on his other side. He frowned and gave a grunt, slowly leaning into Duke’s side. Spoiler had no such reservations, flinging her arm around Duke and tugging him closer.

“…guys? Wh-what are you doing.”

“Tt. I thought it was obvious. We are heating you up.”

“It’s important that you don’t get to cold or you might get frostbite. It’s supposed to be… very cold tonight.”

“Oh. Yeah, okay. But we should be tying to get further away from the b-base! They might find us.”

Spoiler snorted. “Duke, you’ve gotten so far away from the base _we_ could hardly track you.”

“I.. what?”

“You walked a long way Thomas. Now hush, father shall be arriving soon.”

So Duke relaxed, took a sip of got chocolate, and let his siblings comfort him, the warmth sinking into his bones and warming his heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Mmk so this one was fun to write. It’s currently really really warm where I live and I am melting in this heat so writing a cold story is nice. Prompts/requests open! 
> 
> Come talk to me at my tumblr!  
> https://thesporklecat.tumblr.com/


End file.
